Modern pic’n'mix media means that when, say, Barclays brings in new money from an unusual investment source, like the Middle East, the public relations gets creative.
From the FT Alphaville inbox on Friday:
31 October 2008
Quotes attributable to either Ali Jassim, adviser to His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan or Amanda Staveley, Chief Executive of PCP Gulf Invest in relation to the investment in Barclays PLC by His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan:
“Our investment in Barclays is a vote for the UK financial system as a whole.
“His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and his fellow Gulf investors, most especially the Qatar Investment Authority, can obviously choose to put money into any investment in the world. This investment in a major British bank reflects their confidence in Britain.
“This is not just a good deal for Barclays, it is also a terrific deal for UK plc and for everyone in this country who depends on the prosperity of the British banking system and depends on it getting back into proper gear.”
Ends
Amanda Staveley, for those not in the know, is one of the City’s most glamorous deal-makers who once dated the Duke of York. (Not our words, but those of the Daily Mail.) Aside from saving Britain’s financial system, Ms Staveley, at the tender age of 33, is simultaneously breaking up Land Securities and stalking Liverpool FC through her PCP investment vehicle – backed, of course, by Gulf cash.
Related link:
“Felt Sheikh – see the Markets Live lexicon on felt-collared sources